# Chapter 2400: Number One Among Ten Clans
"Tenth place, Ghost Clan."
"Ninth place, Stone Clan."
"Eighth place, Corpse Clan."
"Seventh place, Shura Clan."
"Sixth place, Bone Clan."
"Fifth place, Death Clan."
Every time the Black-Robed High Priest's voice sounded, it carried extremely far, as if it could resonate through heaven and earth.
Within the Fate Divine Domain, although cultivators from various clans had long anticipated the results, hearing their own clan's ranking so low still filled them with indignation.
A young Shura man, dressed in plain cloth and holding a black long spear, let out a long roar: "If not for Yan Wushen, the Shura Clan's ranking would never have been this low. I swear an oath today: one day, I will surely slay Yan Wushen and wash away today's disgrace. Shura God Venerable above, this oath is made, witnessed by heaven and earth, with no regrets even in death."
As the oath was completed, blood-colored Shura divine mist gathered above his head.
An elderly Ghost cultivator, sitting on a tower in one of the cities within the Fate Divine Domain, muttered to himself: "The Ghost Clan's defeat was all because of that battle on our clan star, where we underestimated Zhang Ruochen. This is a loss to an Eon-level figure—not shameful. But the face we've lost, the Ghost Clan will surely have some heaven-blessed prodigy go to reclaim it."
...
These scenes unfolded everywhere in the Fate Divine Domain.
Some reflected, some gave birth to hatred, some regretted in silence.
A hundred states of the world, a hundred states of affairs.
"Fourth place, Underworld Clan." The Black-Robed High Priest's voice rang out again.
The cultivators of the Underworld Clan fell into collective silence.
The cultivators of the Rakshasa Clan, on the other hand, burst into joyous laughter—some families rejoiced while others grieved.
"Third place, Rakshasa Clan."
An Underworld Clan Great Saint who had not set foot on the Heaven Hunting Battlefield said: "Wujiang devoted all his energy to encircling and annihilating the Undying Blood Clan, never expecting that our clan star would be attacked."
"Wujiang's actions were not wrong. If he hadn't lost to Zhang Ruochen, even if Luo Sheng Tian had attacked our clan star, it would have been difficult to achieve much," said another Underworld Clan Great Saint.
"If from the beginning, Wujiang hadn't made an enemy of Zhang Ruochen, but instead devoted his energy to hunting Heaven slaves, would the ranking results have been better?"
"What's done is done. The Underworld Clan this time—no, the Upper Three Clans this time—have all taken a heavy fall. Zhang Ruochen alone has suppressed the entire Upper Three Clans. After today, he will surely become the shared veneration of the Undying Blood Clan's younger generation."
"Now it all depends on whether the Yama Clan can maintain their undefeated position."
Next came the result everyone was waiting for.
Since the Heaven Hunting Battle began, over a hundred sessions, the Yama Clan had never lost—unrivaled throughout the world.
This session, the Yama Clan was especially abundant with heroes, each one a dragon among men: Yan Wushen, Yan Huangtu, Xi, Yan Zhexian... all capable of standing alone, their overall strength far surpassing previous sessions.
Yet this session, they fought with extreme difficulty, suppressed by Zhang Ruochen's Undying Blood Clan all the way until the very last moment.
Qiangu Nüdi stood on a small island in a lake within the Fate Divine Domain. The island was covered with purple scarf trees, their trunks like dragons. When the wind blew, purple petals danced through the air like countless butterflies.
Her gaze looked toward the direction of Fate Divine Mountain, tranquil and profound.
Xuanji Sword Saint stood nearby, saying: "Nüdi, rest assured. Zhang Ruochen will surely seize first place among the ten clans."
Qiangu Nüdi's form seemed to stand in a space between reality and emptiness, sometimes solid, sometimes scattered. She said: "Zhang Ruochen gave his all, insisting on holding on until that very last moment, facing powerful enemies from all sides alone, brushing with life and death several times. I know a great reason is the promise he made to me. This child will surely achieve great things in the future. Xuanji, you have taken on a good disciple."
Xuanji Sword Saint could not contain the smile on his face: "I didn't teach him much. Whatever achievements he has today, he earned through his own efforts."
Qiangu Nüdi shook her head, saying: "An ordinary person, relying only on themselves, can become a Saint—that alone is already remarkable. Zhang Ruochen's achievements today are because behind him stand too many people who have been helping him all along. You must be one of them."
Then she added: "Rescuing Tai Shang will cost many lives. Xuanji, it's time for you to return to Kunlun."
Xuanji Sword Saint quickly bowed, his attitude resolute: "Rescuing Tai Shang and saving the billions of living beings in Kunlun has been my aspiration ever since I entered the Hell Realm. Now hope is right before my eyes—how could I flee from death? Please, Nüdi, allow me to stay and contribute my strength."
Qiangu Nüdi condensed back into solid form, her silhouette's outline extremely beautiful and graceful, still gazing at Fate Divine Mountain: "The results are out!"
A vast voice spread across heaven and earth: "Second place, Yama Clan."
"First place, Undying Blood Clan."
"Boom!"
On the Wu Jin Square, all the cultivators of the Undying Blood Clan, including the Great Sen Luo Emperor standing in their camp, exploded with excitement.
"We won, we won, we finally won!" The Great Sen Luo Emperor raised his fist, his face flushed red, shouting together with the cultivators around him.
Even the Great Saints laughed uninhibitedly, venting the joy in their hearts.
In every city within the Fate Divine Domain, cultivators of the Undying Blood Clan came to the streets, shouting: "Undying Blood Clan is number one under heaven!"
"Undying Blood Clan is number one under heaven!"
...
Message Light Talismans, like meteor showers, streaked across the starry sky, flying toward the various territories of the Undying Blood Clan, reporting the good news.
No one knew who shouted "Zhang Ruochen" first, but it triggered a chain reaction.
"Zhang Ruochen!"
"Zhang Ruochen!"
...
From today onward, Zhang Ruochen's name was completely bound to the Undying Blood Clan, becoming the leading figure of this generation of the Undying Blood Clan.
And this generation of the Undying Blood Clan occupied ninety-nine percent of the entire Undying Blood Clan's population.
After all, those who could live beyond a thousand years among the Undying Blood Clan were fewer than one in a hundred, or even one in ten thousand.
The influence of the Heaven Hunting Battle was enormous. The propaganda effect was enough to make Zhang Ruochen's fame surpass that of some gods.
Other cultivators from various clans looked on coldly, some sneered, some came forward to congratulate, happy to see the Yama Clan being suppressed.
Today was destined to be recorded in history. The names "Zhang Ruochen," "Dao Yu Huang," "Feng Hou," "Yu Huang," and others would surely be written about extensively by the cultivators of the Undying Blood Clan, passed down for at least several hundred years.
The cultivators of the Yama Clan were extremely depressed. No one knew how many were gnashing their teeth. Obtaining second place, they felt worse in their hearts than the Ghost Clan, which had obtained last place.
Any rank other than first was a humiliation to them.
Sitting in his Divine Realm World, Xue Jue War God had already received dozens of congratulatory divine thoughts, all from friends.
Xue Jue War God naturally did not hide his emotions, laughing loudly, the sound reaching the Divine Realm Worlds of Ghost Lord, Xiu Chen Heavenly God, and other Hell Realm gods, drawing displeased snorts.
Immediately, Xue Jue War God announced: "Today, the Blood Heaven Tribe celebrates universally. Release all prisoners except those from the Heavenly Court realm."
The Undying Blood Clan had defeated the Yama Clan, becoming the only clan to pull the Supreme Clan down from its divine pedestal.
And the one who led the Undying Blood Clan to accomplish all this was his own grandson, a descendant of the Blood Absolute Family—bringing him great face.
The Blood Absolute Family produced heroes in every generation. This was a sign of great prosperity, perhaps able to restore the glory from when the Ancestor was alive.
Xue Jue War God was genuinely joyful, happier than when he himself had achieved glorious accomplishments.
Other Undying Blood Clan gods were also extremely excited, feeling a sense of vindication.
The son of the Great Clan Elder of the Yellow Heaven Tribe composed a poem on the spot:
"The Heaven Hunting Battle, a hundred thousand years, the Supreme Clan always first."
"But this year they met the Blood Clan. The Supreme was beaten like a dog."
As soon as this poem came out, the gods of the Yama Clan turned green with rage.
A god wreathed in lightning angrily smashed his table, grabbed a lightning axe, and prepared to kill toward him.
But he was stopped by Xue Zhi Gu Shen.
"Why bother with a fool?" Xue Zhi Gu Shen was very cultured and did not get angry.
The son of the Great Clan Elder of the Yellow Heaven Tribe seemed to be in high spirits and immediately composed another poem:
"The Yama had a daughter just grown, raised in deep chambers unknown."
"But meeting Zhang Ruochen, she returned as two people."
As soon as the poem was completed, Xue Zhi Gu Shen flew into a rage, forming a palm seal that directly blasted into the Divine Realm World of the son of the Great Clan Elder of the Yellow Heaven Tribe. This palm seal was received by the Great Clan Elder of the Yellow Heaven Tribe, dissolving into nothingness in the void.
The Great Clan Elder of the Yellow Heaven Tribe quickly went to appease Xue Zhi Gu Shen's emotions, repeatedly apologizing, and promising to discipline him strictly in the future.
The anger in Xue Zhi Gu Shen's chest was hard to calm for a long time. The Great Clan Elder of the Yellow Heaven Tribe said everything, even sending an Eon-level sacred tree as compensation, before the matter was settled.
The reactions of the various powerful divine beings were relatively restrained.
But the Yama Clan Great Saints who participated in the battle were all humiliated to the extreme, their hearts very unwilling.
Losing to the Undying Blood Clan was worse than death for them.
Yan Wushen was also somewhat unwilling. In that final battle, the roars of the Swastika Azure Dragon and Zangjin Baihu sounded simultaneously, stunning both him and Zhang Ruochen into unconsciousness, which led to the Yama Clan's defeat.
If he had been allowed to continue fighting, there might have been a chance to turn defeat into victory.
Of course, he also understood why Zangjin Baihu and the Swastika Azure Dragon had done this. The injuries on both him and Zhang Ruochen were already very severe—especially Yan Wushen, who had lost several thousand years of lifespan. If they were allowed to continue fighting, it would likely end in mutual death.
Even if they didn't die, their foundations would probably be damaged.
Yan Zhexian's personality was very strong-willed. Unwilling to accept defeat, she used illusion techniques to conceal her slightly protruding lower abdomen, walked toward the Gate of Destiny, and bowed: "The Destiny Temple has a rule that clan members cannot all leave their clan star. The Undying Blood Clan has violated this rule and should have their ranking revoked."
The Great Saints of the Undying Blood Clan were all furious.
Dao Yu Huang rushed forward directly, shouting: "The Undying Blood Clan's clan star has already been destroyed—why can't the clan members be transferred away?"
Yan Zhexian said: "If the clan star has already been destroyed, doesn't that precisely prove the Undying Blood Clan's failure?"
Feng Hou said: "The Destiny Temple only required us to protect our clan's members; it never stipulated that we must preserve the clan star."
Another Yama Clan member stepped forward, Xi, saying: "That White Jade Divine Tree can serve as the Undying Blood Clan's clan star. At the very least, the Undying Blood Clan's members cannot all leave that White Jade Divine Tree, can they?"
The cultivators of the Yama Clan stepped forward one after another.
Voices spreading for ten thousand miles rang out across heaven and earth: "The Undying Blood Clan has violated the Destiny Temple's rules. We request that Fu Lu God Venerable revoke their ranking and restore fairness and justice to the Heaven Hunting Battle."
The Yama Clan cultivators in the Fate Divine Domain were numerous. At this moment, they also shouted their petitions loudly. Some cultivators even forcibly charged toward Fate Divine Mountain.
"If the Destiny Temple cannot be fair and just, then today, I will die on Fate Divine Mountain."
A young Yama Clan man drew a sacred sword and slashed it across his neck. Blood spilled across the ground.
"Puchi."
Another cultivator shattered his own head with a palm, falling into a pool of blood.
They used their own lives to prove the Yama Clan's will, forcing the Destiny Temple to yield, using blood to exchange for the honor and dignity that belonged to the Supreme Clan.
More and more Yama Clan cultivators died, each one unhesitating, blood spilling across the long streets.
Such a tragic and heroic scene moved even the gods.
The gods of the Yama Clan did not stop them, as if they also wanted to see whether the Destiny Temple would revoke the Undying Blood Clan's ranking because of this.
After the Black-Robed High Priest shouted several times to stop, the Yama Clan cultivators committing suicide at the foot of Fate Divine Mountain only increased. He was somewhat at a loss.
"Hua—"
Finally, Fu Lu God Venerable's divine shadow manifested above the Destiny Temple at the mountain's summit.
"It's the God Venerable."
"Everyone together, petition to the God Venerable."
No one knew how many Yama Clan cultivators knelt to the ground.
The Yama Clan Great Saints did not kneel, but each wore an expression of anticipation. Being able to force a God Venerable to manifest a divine shadow showed that perhaps there was indeed a turning point in this matter.
Fu Lu God Venerable's voice sounded: "The Undying Blood Clan did not violate the rules."
With just this one sentence, it stirred up dissatisfaction in the hearts of countless Yama Clan cultivators. However, fearing the God Venerable's divine might, no one erupted. But many cultivators had already drawn their blades, preparing to continue proving their resolve with death.
Fu Lu God Venerable extended a gaseous palm, reaching across billions of miles to grab the White Jade Divine Tree from the Heaven Hunting Battlefield, holding it in his palm.
The divine tree, over ten thousand miles tall, was as small as a blade of grass in his palm.
From the divine tree, Fu Lu God Venerable plucked out Chi Di's corpse. From the corpse flew a blue-green brush.
On the Wu Jin Square, Yan Zhexian's beautiful eyes contracted sharply, immediately recognizing it as her talisman brush.
Fu Lu God Venerable pulled a single hair from the brush, releasing the Undying Blood Clan member that Zhang Ruochen had placed in the space within that hair. That clan member, frightened by the invisible divine might, collapsed to the ground, trembling all over, unable to speak.
Seeing this, the Yama Clan cultivators fell silent one by one.
Yan Zhexian's pretty face turned cold to the freezing point. She glared fiercely at Zhang Ruochen and muttered something under her breath.
Zhang Ruochen had schemed with all his might to obtain first place among the ten clans—how could he easily let the Yama Clan seize a handle? He had long left a backup plan.
The cultivators of the Undying Blood Clan were even more prostrate with admiration, utterly in awe of Zhang Ruochen.
Fu Lu God Venerable said: "The Heaven Hunting Battle has ended. The ranking of the ten clans merely represents the strength of this millennium's new generation of cultivators. If you wish to reclaim your dignity and glory, there will naturally be another chance to compete a thousand years from now."
"Next, I have several important matters to announce."